23rd Takavar Division

The 23rd Takavar Division is a takavar (commando) division of the Iranian Artesh which was activated in 1979. It served in the Iran-Iraq War, fighting at Sardasht in West Azerbaijan to prevent the Iraqi Army from refocusing its attention to the southern front. On 8 January 2020, the 23rd Takavar Division was responsible for the accidental shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 over Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.